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Trivia: Musical Terms

Subject : trivia
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The element of music pertaining to time - played as a grouping of notes into accented and unaccented beats.






2. A sequence of chords that brings an end to a phrase - either in the middle or the end of a composition.






3. Short movement or interlude connecting the main parts of the composition.






4. Combining a number of individual but harmonizing melodies. Also known as counterpoint.






5. The unit of measure where the beats on the lines of the staff are divided up into two - three - four beats to a measure.






6. The principal note of a triad.






7. A short or brief sonata.






8. The raising and lowering a pitch of an instrument to produce the correct tone of a note.






9. The range of an instrumental or a vocal part.






10. Movement or passage that concludes the musical composition.






11. Often used in overtures - a composition that uses passages from other movements of the composition in its entirety.






12. The manner in which tones are produced with regard to pitch.






13. Convenient method of numbering a composer's works where a number follows the word 'opus'.For example - Opus 28 - No. 4.






14. A piece of music written in triple time. Also an old French dance.






15. A short piece originally preceded by a more substantial work - also an orchestral introduction to opera - however not lengthy enough to be considered an overture.






16. Group of singers in a chorus.






17. Music of a particular form consisting of four movements. Each of the movements differ in tempo - rhythm - and melody; but are held together by subject and style.






18. Tone color - quality of sound that distinguishes one verse or instrument to another. It is determined by the harmonies of sound.






19. Refers to the tuning of an instrument.






20. Pertaining to the loudness or softness of a musical composition. Also the symbols in sheet music indicating volume.






21. Quick repetition of the same note or the rapid alternation between two notes.






22. Singing or chanting in unison without strict rhythm. Collected during the Reign of Pope Gregory VIII for psalms and other other parts of the church service.






23. A short and simple melody performed by a soloist that is part of a larger piece.






24. A quick 20th century dance written in double time.






25. One of the two modes of the tonal system. The minor mode can be identified by the dark - melancholic mood.






26. One of the two modes of the tonal system. Music written in major keys have a positive affirming character.






27. Harsh - discordant - and lack of harmony. Also a chord that sounds incomplete until it resolves itself on a harmonious chord.






28. The first tone of a scale also known as a keynote.






29. A lighthearted piece - written in several movements - usually as background music for a social function.






30. Slow and stately dance music written in triple time.






31. A 19th century square dance written for 4 couples.






32. A harmonic given off by a note when it is played.






33. A piece of music written in triple time. Also an old French dance.






34. A composition written for eight instruments.






35. 3 or 4 notes played simultaneously in harmony.






36. Includes all twelve notes of an octave.






37. The study of forms - history - science - and methods of music.






38. System of notes or tones based on and named after the key note.






39. Piece of instrumental music played between scenes in a play or opera.






40. A scale consisting of only whole-tone notes. Such a scale consists of only 6 notes.






41. A drama where the words are sung instead of spoken.






42. A quick - improvisational - spirited piece of music.






43. The major and minor keys that share the same notes in that key.For example: A minor shares the same note as C major.






44. A musical form where the melody or tune is imitated by individual parts at regular intervals. The individual parts may enter at different measures and pitches. The tune may also be played at different speeds - backwards - or inverted.






45. The range of an instrumental or a vocal part.






46. Two notes that differ in name only. The notes occupy the same position.For example: C sharp and D flat.






47. A person with notable technical skill in the performance of music.






48. A combination of two or more staves on which all the notes are vertically aligned and performed simultaneously in differing registers and instruments.






49. A large group of instrumentalists playing together.






50. An extended cantata on a sacred subject.







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